Q. Should we bless ourselves using holy water on our way out from Mass? Given this sacramental is in part penitential, and we have just received the Holy Eucharist, it would seem to pale in comparison.
A. There is a long history of using holy water in the liturgies of the Church. The most exalted example of this is baptism, when ordinary water is used as the means through which God communicates His very life to the one being baptized, indelibly marking them as His son or daughter. Because of the importance of baptism, the Church constantly invites Her members to reflect on this dignity.
One of the most common ways She does this is in the practice of signing oneself with holy water when entering a church. Although the practice is rooted in the ritual washing of Judaism and the practical desire to wash oneself before entering a church, over time the practice became more associated with recalling baptism.
There is no strict requirement to sign oneself with holy water when entering a church. The only legal reference to it in the current liturgical norms of the Church that I am aware of is from the Ceremonial of Bishops which states, “It is an old and honored practice for all who enter a church to dip their hand in a font (stoup) of holy water and sign themselves with the sign of the cross as a reminder of their baptism.” Even this reference says nothing about an obligation, simply that it is an honored practice.
The question then of signing oneself while leaving Mass is really a question of custom, not law. When entering, we sign ourselves to recall our baptism and to prepare ourselves to receive, through common prayer and most especially, through our Lord present in the Eucharist, the grace to live out our baptism.
Does it make sense then to sign ourselves when we leave, since we no longer need to prepare ourselves to receive God’s grace? Certainly the argument from custom is no, we do not sign ourselves on the way out. However, I think it is fair to say that when we leave and sign ourselves, it is an opportunity to, having received God’s grace, renew our commitment to living out our baptism as we transition back into the world after our brief encounter with God in the Mass. But we are free to not, just as we are free to not sign ourselves going in.
Regardless of what we do (or do not do), we should always strive to do it intentionally. Common gestures or prayers so easily become robotic and we so easily forget why we are doing them. We can all be well served by trying to be more intentional in our prayers and ritual gestures.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
